MWM Biomodels GmbH is a spin-off company of the LMU Munich and Minitube, specialized in the development and characterization of transgenic large animal models for biomedical research. Current projects are focused on the development, characterization and implementation of genetically tailored pigs as disease models (diabetes mellitus, cardiovascular diseases, rare monogenic diseases) and as tissue donors for xenotransplantation.

MWM Biomodels offers support starting from the design of a project, the development of expression and targeting vectors, the generation of genetically modified large animals, their phenotypic characterization and the performance of preclinical studies. MWM Biomodels is an experienced partner in publically funded research consortia, such as EU-funded Marie-Curie Training Networks and COST Actions, or national networks funded by the Federal Ministry of Education and Research (BMBF) or the Bavarian Research Council (BFS).

Contact

MWM Biomodels GmbH
Hauptstrasse 41
84184 Tiefenbach
Phone: +49-8709-92290 

Prof. Dr. Eckhard Wolf
ewolf@lmu.de

Dr. Christian Simmet
csimmet@minitube.de

About Us

MWM Biomodels GmbH is a spin-off company of the LMU Munich and Minitube, specialized in the development and characterization of genetically engineered large animal models for biomedical research. Current projects are focused on the development, characterization and implementation of genetically tailored pigs as disease models (diabetes mellitus, cardiovascular diseases, rare monogenic diseases) and as tissue donors for xenotransplantation.

The translation of novel discoveries from basic research to clinical application is a long, often inefficient and costly process. Consequently, “translational medicine” became a top priority. Relevant animal models are critically important for the discovery of key disease mechanisms, targets for medical interventions and subsequent development of new therapies. Rodents are the most popular, but findings in rodents are in many disease areas very different from those in human patients. Thus, animal models mimicking human anatomy and physiology more closely are urgently required. In this respect, pigs are excellent candidates to bridge the gap between basic research and clinical trials.

MWM Biomodels has unique expertise in the generation and phenotypic characterization of genetically tailored porcine disease models, particularly for pathophysiological studies of carbohydrate and lipid metabolism and for monogenic diseases, such as Duchenne muscular dystrophy and Laron syndrome (growth hormone receptor deficiency). The spectrum of phenotypic profiling is continuously expanded, mainly in collaboration with academic institutions. In particular, MWM Biomodels is closely collaborating with the Center for Innovative Medical Models (CiMM), a unique research center for the development of translational animal models at LMU Munich.

MWM Biomodels supports projects of academic institutions, e.g. in the framework of common grant applications (including BMBF, BFS, NIH), and performs contract research for Biotech Companies and the Pharmaceutical Industry.

MWM Biomodels offers a broad spectrum of research services, including project design, development of expression and targeting vectors, generation of genetically modified large animals, their phenotypic characterization, and performance of preclinical studies.

Current and past projects

Bavarian Research Council / Bayerische Forschungsstiftung Vascularized three-dimensional organ models of the pancreas – VasOP

EU FP7-PEOPLE-2012-ITN - Marie-Curie Action EpiHealthNet (see http://www.epihealthnet.org/ehn/)

EU COST Action BM1308 Sharing Advances on large Animal Models - SALAAM

BMBF-Leading-Edge Cluster m4 – Personalized Medicine and Targeted Therapies Platform “Advances Preclinical Animal Models – APAM”

Bavarian Research Council / Bayerische Forschungsstiftung Research Network for Cell-Based Regeneration in Aging (FORZebRA)

Bavarian Research Council / Bayerische Forschungsstiftung Muscular Dystrophy Research in Large Animal Models

Patent And Publications

Patent:

US 7,919,673 Transgenic Pig with Altered Incretin Function (Inventors: Eckhard Wolf, Simone Renner, Barbara Kessler, Rüdiger Wanke, Nadja Herbach, Alexander Pfeifer, Andreas Hofmann)

Publications listed in PubMed:

Blutke, A., Renner, S., Flenkenthaler, F., Backman, M., Haesner, S., Kemter, E., Ländström, E., Braun-Reichhart, C., Albl, B., Streckel, E., Rathkolb, B., Prehn, C., Palladini, A., Grzybek, M., Krebs, S., Bauersachs, S., Bähr, A., Brühschwein, A., Deeg, C., De Monte, E., Dmochewitz, M., Eberle, C., Emrich, D., Fux, R., Groth, F., Gumbert, S., Heitmann, A., Hinrichs, A., Keßler, B., Kurome, M., Leipig-Rudolph, M., Matiasek, K., Öztürk, H., Otzdorff, C., Reichenbach, M., Reichenbach, H.D., Rieger, A., Rieseberg, B., Rosati, M., Saucedo, M.N., Schleicher, A., Schneider, M.R., Simmet, K., Steinmetz, J., Übel, N., Zehetmaier, P., Jung, A., Adamski, J., Coskun, Ü., Hrabĕ de Angelis, M., Simmet, C., Ritzmann, M., Meyer-Lindenberg, A., Blum, H., Arnold, G.J., Fröhlich, T., Wanke, R., and Wolf, E.: The Munich MIDY Pig Biobank – a unique resource for studying organ crosstalk in diabetes. Molecular metabolism 6, 931-940 (2017)

Bongoni, A.K., Salvaris, E., Nordling, S., Klymiuk, N., Wolf, E., Ayares, D.L., Rieben, R., Magnusson, P.U., and Cowan, P.J.: Surface modification of pig endothelial cells with a branched heparin conjugate improves their compatibility with human blood. Scientific reports 7, 4450 (2017)

Buerck, L.W., Schuster, M., Oduncu, F.S., Baehr, A., Mayr, T., Guethoff, S., Abicht, J., Reichart, B., Klymiuk, N., Wolf, E., and Seissler, J.: LEA29Y expression in transgenic neonatal porcine islet-like cluster promotes long-lasting xenograft survival in humanized mice without immunosuppressive therapy. Scientific reports 7, 3572 (2017)

Hinkel, R., Hoewe, A., Renner, S., Ng, J., Lee, S., Klett, K., Kaczmarek, V., Moretti, A., Laugwitz, K.L., Skroblin, P., Mayr, M., Milting, H., Dendorfer, A., Reichart, B., Wolf, E., and Kupatt, C.: Diabetes mellitus-induced microvascular destabilization in the myocardium. Journal of the American College of Cardiology 69, 131-143 (2017)

Kemter, E., Cohrs, C.M., Schafer, M., Schuster, M., Steinmeyer, K., Wolf-van Buerck, L., Wolf, A., Wuensch, A., Kurome, M., Kessler, B., Zakhartchenko, V., Loehn, M., Ivashchenko, Y., Seissler, J., Schulte, A.M., Speier, S., and Wolf, E.: INS-eGFP transgenic pigs: a novel reporter system for studying maturation, growth and vascularisation of neonatal islet-like cell clusters. Diabetologia 60, 1152-1156 (2017a)

Kleinwort, K.J.H., Amann, B., Hauck, S.M., Hirmer, S., Blutke, A., Renner, S., Uhl, P.B., Lutterberg, K., Sekundo, W., Wolf, E., and Deeg, C.A.: Retinopathy with central oedema in an INS C94Y transgenic pig model of long-term diabetes. Diabetologia 60, 1541-1549 (2017)

Kurome, M., Leuchs, S., Kessler, B., Kemter, E., Jemiller, E.M., Foerster, B., Klymiuk, N., Zakhartchenko, V., and Wolf, E.: Direct introduction of gene constructs into the pronucleus-like structure of cloned embryos: a new strategy for the generation of genetically modified pigs. Transgenic research 26, 309-318 (2017)

Albl, B., Haesner, S., Braun-Reichhart, C., Streckel, E., Renner, S., Seeliger, F., Wolf, E., Wanke, R., and Blutke, A.: Tissue sampling guides for porcine biomedical models. Toxicologic pathology 44, 414-420 (2016)

Bahr, A., Kaser, T., Kemter, E., Gerner, W., Kurome, M., Baars, W., Herbach, N., Witter, K., Wunsch, A., Talker, S.C., Kessler, B., Nagashima, H., Saalmuller, A., Schwinzer, R., Wolf, E., and Klymiuk, N.: Ubiquitous LEA29Y expression blocks T cell co-stimulation but permits sexual reproduction in genetically modified pigs. PloS one 11, e0155676 (2016)

Bongoni, A.K., Klymiuk, N., Wolf, E., Ayares, D., Rieben, R., and Cowan, P.J.: Transgenic expression of human thrombomodulin inhibits HMGB1-induced porcine aortic endothelial cell activation. Transplantation 100, 1871-1879 (2016)

Cooper, D.K., Matsumoto, S., Abalovich, A., Itoh, T., Mourad, N.I., Gianello, P.R., Wolf, E., and Cozzi, E.: Progress in clinical encapsulated islet xenotransplantation. Transplantation 100, 2301-2308 (2016)

Cowan, P.J., Ayares, D., Wolf, E., and Cooper, D.K.: First update of the International Xenotransplantation Association consensus statement on conditions for undertaking clinical trials of porcine islet products in type 1 diabetes--Chapter 2b: genetically modified source pigs. Xenotransplantation 23, 32-37 (2016)

Fischer, K., Kraner-Scheiber, S., Petersen, B., Rieblinger, B., Buermann, A., Flisikowska, T., Flisikowski, K., Christan, S., Edlinger, M., Baars, W., Kurome, M., Zakhartchenko, V., Kessler, B., Plotzki, E., Szczerbal, I., Switonski, M., Denner, J., Wolf, E., Schwinzer, R., Niemann, H., Kind, A., and Schnieke, A.: Efficient production of multi-modified pigs for xenotransplantation by 'combineering', gene stacking and gene editing. Scientific reports 6, 29081 (2016)

Frohlich, T., Kemter, E., Flenkenthaler, F., Klymiuk, N., Otte, K.A., Blutke, A., Krause, S., Walter, M.C., Wanke, R., Wolf, E., and Arnold, G.J.: Progressive muscle proteome changes in a clinically relevant pig model of Duchenne muscular dystrophy. Scientific reports 6, 33362 (2016)

Klymiuk, N., Seeliger, F., Bohlooly, Y.M., Blutke, A., Rudmann, D.G., and Wolf, E.: Tailored pig models for preclinical efficacy and safety testing of targeted therapies. Toxicologic pathology 44, 346-357 (2016)

Mohiuddin, M.M., Singh, A.K., Corcoran, P.C., Thomas, M.L., 3rd, Clark, T., Lewis, B.G., Hoyt, R.F., Eckhaus, M., Pierson, R.N., 3rd, Belli, A.J., Wolf, E., Klymiuk, N., Phelps, C., Reimann, K.A., Ayares, D., and Horvath, K.A.: Chimeric 2C10R4 anti-CD40 antibody therapy is critical for long-term survival of GTKO.hCD46.hTBM pig-to-primate cardiac xenograft. Nature communications 7, 11138 (2016)

Rataj, D., Werwitzke, S., Haarmeijer, B., Winkler, M., Ramackers, W., Petersen, B., Niemann, H., Wunsch, A., Bahr, A., Klymiuk, N., Wolf, E., Abicht, J.M., Ayares, D., and Tiede, A.: Inhibition of complement component C5 prevents clotting in an ex vivo model of xenogeneic activation of coagulation. Xenotransplantation 23, 117-127 (2016)

Renner, S., Blutke, A., Streckel, E., Wanke, R., and Wolf, E.: Incretin actions and consequences of incretin-based therapies: lessons from complementary animal models. The Journal of pathology 238, 345-358 (2016a)

Renner, S., Dobenecker, B., Blutke, A., Zols, S., Wanke, R., Ritzmann, M., and Wolf, E.: Comparative aspects of rodent and nonrodent animal models for mechanistic and translational diabetes research. Theriogenology 86, 406-421 (2016b)

Schneider, M.R., and Wolf, E.: Genetically engineered pigs as investigative and translational models in dermatology. The British journal of dermatology 174, 237-239 (2016)

Abicht, J.M., Mayr, T., Reichart, B., Buchholz, S., Werner, F., Lutzmann, I., Schmoeckel, M., Bauer, A., Thormann, M., Langenmayer, M., Herbach, N., Pohla, H., Herzog, R., McGregor, C.G., Ayares, D., Wolf, E., Klymiuk, N., Baehr, A., Kind, A., Hagl, C., Ganswindt, U., Belka, C., Guethoff, S., and Brenner, P.: Pre-clinical heterotopic intrathoracic heart xenotransplantation: a possibly useful clinical technique. Xenotransplantation 22, 427-442 (2015)

Bongoni, A.K., Kiermeir, D., Schnider, J., Jenni, H., Garimella, P., Bahr, A., Klymiuk, N., Wolf, E., Ayares, D., Voegelin, E., Constantinescu, M.A., Seebach, J.D., and Rieben, R.: Transgenic expression of human CD46 on porcine endothelium: effect on coagulation and fibrinolytic cascades during ex vivo human-to-pig limb xenoperfusions. Transplantation 99, 2061-2069 (2015)

Guillon, A., Chevaleyre, C., Barc, C., Berri, M., Adriaensen, H., Lecompte, F., Villemagne, T., Pezant, J., Delaunay, R., Moenne-Loccoz, J., Berthon, P., Bahr, A., Wolf, E., Klymiuk, N., Attucci, S., Ramphal, R., Sarradin, P., Buzoni-Gatel, D., Si-Tahar, M., and Caballero, I.: Computed tomography (CT) scanning facilitates early identification of neonatal cystic fibrosis piglets. PloS one 10, e0143459 (2015)

Iwase, H., Ekser, B., Satyananda, V., Bhama, J., Hara, H., Ezzelarab, M., Klein, E., Wagner, R., Long, C., Thacker, J., Li, J., Zhou, H., Jiang, M., Nagaraju, S., Zhou, H., Veroux, M., Bajona, P., Wijkstrom, M., Wang, Y., Phelps, C., Klymiuk, N., Wolf, E., Ayares, D., and Cooper, D.K.: Pig-to-baboon heterotopic heart transplantation--exploratory preliminary experience with pigs transgenic for human thrombomodulin and comparison of three costimulation blockade-based regimens. Xenotransplantation 22, 211-220 (2015)

Kemter, E., and Wolf, E.: Pigs pave a way to de novo formation of functional human kidneys. Proceedings of the National Academy of Sciences of the United States of America 112, 12905-12906 (2015)

Kurome, M., Kessler, B., Wuensch, A., Nagashima, H., and Wolf, E.: Nuclear transfer and transgenesis in the pig. Methods in molecular biology 1222, 37-59 (2015)

Li, S., Edlinger, M., Saalfrank, A., Flisikowski, K., Tschukes, A., Kurome, M., Zakhartchenko, V., Kessler, B., Saur, D., Kind, A., Wolf, E., Schnieke, A., and Flisikowska, T.: Viable pigs with a conditionally-activated oncogenic KRAS mutation. Transgenic research 24, 509-517 (2015)

Plotzki, E., Wolf-van Buerck, L., Knauf, Y., Becker, T., Maetz-Rensing, K., Schuster, M., Baehr, A., Klymiuk, N., Wolf, E., Seissler, J., and Denner, J.: Virus safety of islet cell transplantation from transgenic pigs to marmosets. Virus research 204, 95-102 (2015)

Reichart, B., Guethoff, S., Brenner, P., Poettinger, T., Wolf, E., Ludwig, B., Kind, A., Mayr, T., and Abicht, J.M.: Xenotransplantation of cells, tissues, organs and the German Research Foundation Transregio Collaborative Research Centre 127. Advances in experimental medicine and biology 865, 143-155 (2015a)

Reichart, B., Niemann, H., Chavakis, T., Denner, J., Jaeckel, E., Ludwig, B., Marckmann, G., Schnieke, A., Schwinzer, R., Seissler, J., Tonjes, R.R., Klymiuk, N., Wolf, E., and Bornstein, S.R.: Xenotransplantation of porcine islet cells as a potential option for the treatment of type 1 diabetes in the future. Hormone and metabolic research = Hormon- und Stoffwechselforschung = Hormones et

Streckel, E., Braun-Reichhart, C., Herbach, N., Dahlhoff, M., Kessler, B., Blutke, A., Bahr, A., Ubel, N., Eddicks, M., Ritzmann, M., Krebs, S., Goke, B., Blum, H., Wanke, R., Wolf, E., and Renner, S.: Effects of the glucagon-like peptide-1 receptor agonist liraglutide in juvenile transgenic pigs modeling a pre-diabetic condition. Journal of translational medicine 13, 73 (2015)

Wolf-van Buerck, L., Schuster, M., Baehr, A., Mayr, T., Guethoff, S., Abicht, J., Reichart, B., Nam-Apostolopoulos, Y.C., Klymiuk, N., Wolf, E., and Seissler, J.: Engraftment and reversal of diabetes after intramuscular transplantation of neonatal porcine islet-like clusters. Xenotransplantation 22, 443-450 (2015)

Wolf, E., and Reichart, B.: Commentary on "Meta-analysis of the independent and cumulative effects of multiple genetic modifications on pig lung xenograft performance during ex vivo perfusion with human blood" (by Harris et al.): tailoring donor pigs for xenotransplantation-how to find the right combination of genetic modifications? Xenotransplantation 22, 112-113 (2015)

Bongoni, A.K., Kiermeir, D., Jenni, H., Bahr, A., Ayares, D., Klymiuk, N., Wolf, E., Voegelin, E., Constantinescu, M.A., Seebach, J.D., and Rieben, R.: Complement dependent early immunological responses during ex vivo xenoperfusion of hCD46/HLA-E double transgenic pig forelimbs with human blood. Xenotransplantation 21, 230-243 (2014)

Klymiuk, N., Fezert, P., Wunsch, A., Kurome, M., Kessler, B., and Wolf, E.: Homologous recombination contributes to the repair of zinc-finger-nuclease induced double strand breaks in pig primary cells and facilitates recombination with exogenous DNA. Journal of biotechnology 177, 74-81 (2014)

Li, S., Flisikowska, T., Kurome, M., Zakhartchenko, V., Kessler, B., Saur, D., Kind, A., Wolf, E., Flisikowski, K., and Schnieke, A.: Dual fluorescent reporter pig for Cre recombination: transgene placement at the ROSA26 locus. PloS one 9, e102455 (2014)

Mohiuddin, M.M., Singh, A.K., Corcoran, P.C., Hoyt, R.F., Thomas, M.L., 3rd, Lewis, B.G., Eckhaus, M., Reimann, K.A., Klymiuk, N., Wolf, E., Ayares, D., and Horvath, K.A.: One-year heterotopic cardiac xenograft survival in a pig to baboon model. American journal of transplantation : official journal of the American Society of Transplantation and the American Society of Transplant Surgeons 14, 488-489 (2014)

Wolf, E., Braun-Reichhart, C., Streckel, E., and Renner, S.: Genetically engineered pig models for diabetes research. Transgenic research 23, 27-38 (2014)

Wuensch, A., Baehr, A., Bongoni, A.K., Kemter, E., Blutke, A., Baars, W., Haertle, S., Zakhartchenko, V., Kurome, M., Kessler, B., Faber, C., Abicht, J.M., Reichart, B., Wanke, R., Schwinzer, R., Nagashima, H., Rieben, R., Ayares, D., Wolf, E., and Klymiuk, N.: Regulatory sequences of the porcine THBD gene facilitate endothelial-specific expression of bioactive human thrombomodulin in single- and multitransgenic pigs. Transplantation 97, 138-147 (2014)

Bongoni, A.K., Kiermeir, D., Jenni, H., Wunsch, A., Bahr, A., Ayares, D., Seebach, J.D., Wolf, E., Klymiuk, N., Constantinescu, M.A., Vogelin, E., and Rieben, R.: Activation of the lectin pathway of complement in pig-to-human xenotransplantation models. Transplantation 96, 791-799 (2013)

Klymiuk, N., Blutke, A., Graf, A., Krause, S., Burkhardt, K., Wuensch, A., Krebs, S., Kessler, B., Zakhartchenko, V., Kurome, M., Kemter, E., Nagashima, H., Schoser, B., Herbach, N., Blum, H., Wanke, R., Aartsma-Rus, A., Thirion, C., Lochmuller, H., Walter, M.C., and Wolf, E.: Dystrophin-deficient pigs provide new insights into the hierarchy of physiological derangements of dystrophic muscle. Human molecular genetics 22, 4368-4382 (2013)

Kurome, M., Geistlinger, L., Kessler, B., Zakhartchenko, V., Klymiuk, N., Wuensch, A., Richter, A., Baehr, A., Kraehe, K., Burkhardt, K., Flisikowski, K., Flisikowska, T., Merkl, C., Landmann, M., Durkovic, M., Tschukes, A., Kraner, S., Schindelhauer, D., Petri, T., Kind, A., Nagashima, H., Schnieke, A., Zimmer, R., and Wolf, E.: Factors influencing the efficiency of generating genetically engineered pigs by nuclear transfer: multi-factorial analysis of a large data set. BMC biotechnology 13, 43 (2013)

Renner, S., Braun-Reichhart, C., Blutke, A., Herbach, N., Emrich, D., Streckel, E., Wunsch, A., Kessler, B., Kurome, M., Bahr, A., Klymiuk, N., Krebs, S., Puk, O., Nagashima, H., Graw, J., Blum, H., Wanke, R., and Wolf, E.: Permanent neonatal diabetes in INS(C94Y) transgenic pigs. Diabetes 62, 1505-1511 (2013)

Walters, E.M., Wolf, E., Whyte, J.J., Mao, J., Renner, S., Nagashima, H., Kobayashi, E., Zhao, J., Wells, K.D., Critser, J.K., Riley, L.K., and Prather, R.S.: Completion of the swine genome will simplify the production of swine as a large animal biomedical model. BMC Med Genomics 5, 55 (2012)

Renner, S., Römisch-Margl, W., Prehn, C., Krebs, S., Adamski, J., Göke, B., Blum, H., Suhre, K., Roscher, A.A., and Wolf, E.: Changing metabolic signatures of amino acids and lipids during the prediabetic period in a pig model with impaired incretin function and reduced β-cell mass. Diabetes 61, 2166-2175 (2012)

Aigner, B., Renner, S., Kessler, B., Klymiuk, N., Kurome, M., Wünsch, A., and Wolf, E.: Transgenic pigs as models for translational biomedical research. J Mol Med (Berl) 88, 653-664 (2010)

Renner, S., Fehlings, C., Herbach, N., Hofmann, A., von Waldthausen, D.C., Kessler, B., Ulrichs, K., Chodnevskaja, I., Moskalenko, V., Amselgruber, W., Göke, B., Pfeifer, A., Wanke, R., and Wolf, E.: Glucose intolerance and reduced proliferation of pancreatic beta-cells in transgenic pigs with impaired glucose-dependent insulinotropic polypeptide function. Diabetes 59, 1228-1238 (2010)

Links to relevant webpages

http://www.wolf.genzentrum.lmu.de/

http://www.gen.vetmed.uni-muenchen.de/index.html

http://www.genzentrum.lmu.de/lafuga/

http://www.salaam.genzentrum.lmu.de/

http://www.klinikum.uni-muenchen.de/SFB-TRR-127/de/index.html

http://www.epihealthnet.org/

https://www.dzd-ev.de/en/

https://dzhk.de/en/